


These Inconvenient Fireworks

by boopinbabbit



Series: Nuclear Heart [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Deaf Character, Family Bonding, Gen, M/M, Missing Scene, Nora and Strong have a sleepover, Nora explains the meaning of the word crush, Platonic Relationships, Sign Language, Strong's POV, among other things, they also write notes to each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 21:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15958148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boopinbabbit/pseuds/boopinbabbit
Summary: [Companion piece to "But Babe I Need the Thrill" set somewhere between chapters 8 and 11.]Humans are weird.Strong has known this practically ever since he can remember, but it’s only been within the last few months that he’s been able to truly appreciate why.





	These Inconvenient Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> Short companion piece to "But Babe I Need the Thrill" set somewhere between chapters 8 and 11 set in Strong's POV. Bold text is writtten words. Text within <> is sign language. I made it stilted because Strong is the one interpreting it.
> 
> (ALSO: Strong refers to people by nicknames. Leader is Nora. Nobody is Deacon. Puny Gunner is Maccready.)

Humans are weird.

 

Strong has known this practically ever since he can remember, but it’s only been within the last few months that he’s been able to truly appreciate why.

**Is this all the covers you’ve got?** Leader asks, holding up her little chalky board Nobody gave her so Strong can read it. **Isn’t the bed too small?**

 

Taking the board, Strong replies, **BETTER THAN FLOOR**

Grimacing down at the concrete, Leader nods her agreement. **Yeah. I may just sleep back at my place after all.**

**STRONG,** he pauses, shaking his head. **STILL NOT UNDERSTAND SLEEP OVER**

**It’s when friends spend the night at each other’s house** , Leader explains yet again. She isn’t upset by this because she is a good teacher. **We stay up late and talk about crushes and secrets. Or whatever.**

**CRUSH WHAT**

**A crush is someone you like.**

 

Strong stares at her words for a moment, feeling like he’s missing something. **PERSON STRONG LIKE? STRONG NOT WANT CRUSH PEOPLE STRONG LIKE. NOT EAT THEM EITHER. HUMANS STUPID.**

The look Leader gives him is wide-eyed and confused. **I didn’t say anything about eating?** She pauses, tapping her piece of chalk against her lips. **Are you upset? You seem upset about something. Can I help?**

 

“Up set?” Strong repeats aloud, reaching out to tap the word.

 

 **Upset means: angry, frustrated, sad, all mixed up**? She makes the motion for “sorry” against her chest. **Not sure how to explain it.**

 

Perking up slightly, Strong stalks back out of his living space, motioning for Leader to stay put when she tries to follow. Downstairs in the room where Nobody keeps their books, he quickly spots the look-up book Puny Gunner gave him.

 

“Here,” he says slowly, handing it over to Nora once he’s back upstairs. “Puny Gunner find to help with words.”

 

Leader takes the book, flipping through it curiously before brightening up as she finds what they are looking for. Apparently she is better at explaining things than she thinks, Strong decides, reading over the bit she points out.

 

“Strong…” he pauses, taking up the chalkboard to continue there. **CONFUSED?** He taps the word and points at himself.

 

**About what?**

 

 **PUNY GUNNER THINK STRONG WANT EAT HIM. GET-** a pause as Strong looks over the word again – **UPSET. NOT MAKING SENSE. RUN AWAY. STRONG NOT UNDERSTAND.**

 

Taking back the board, Leader writes, starting and stopping a few times before finally just drawing a big question mark.

 

“Yeah.” Strong agrees, grumpily. “Strong never eat Puny Gunner before. Why would now? Stupid.” Grumbling to himself, he takes back the board. **STRONG JUST WANTING CLOSER. HUMANS TOO** \- he growls. “Complicated. How spell.”

 

Flipping through the look-up book, Leader points it out before finger-spelling it for him slowly.

 

<”Thank you,”> Strong signs back. Leader grins and nods.

 

**I think maybe you just need to talk. To each other. Tell him how you feel.**

 

“Bah. Talking,” Strong mutters, grimacing when Leader taps the chalk against his nose pointedly. **STRONG TRY TALK. NOT UNDERSTAND. TRY ACTION. STILL NOT UNDERSTAND. STRONG THINK MAYBE STOP TRYING.**

 

**Trying what?**

**BEING CLOSER.**

 

Leader circles his second word, adding a question mark at the end. Grinning, he hands her the look-up book and she shoves him away laughing.

 

 **Closer how?** She asks, rolling her eyes at him. Strong shrugs and she tilts her head curiously. **Closer as friends? You already get along so well.**

 

Letting out a small gasp, Leader gives him a surprised look before practically diving forward to grab the book. Finding what she was looking for, Leader begins gesturing frantically for Strong to read.

 

“Crush,” he repeats aloud, turning a glare on her. “Already say not want crush. Strong not angry. Just confused.”

 

She points again and he sighs, reading off the rest. “Dee-form. Pull-ver-ize.” She waves her hand to stop him, taking back the book to look it over again before pointing at something a little further down. “A brief but….in…tens…infat- infachu-“

 

 **In-fach-u-aye-shun,** Nora writes, allowing him to sound it out to himself.

 

“What mean?”

 

 **It means you have a crush on Maccready!** Nora writes, circling their friend’s name several times and surrounding it with weird symbols she calls “hearts” even though they look nothing like that. His leader is the weirdest human Strong has ever met. And he knows Wrecks.

 

Heaving a long sigh, Strong turns away, even more frustrated and confused than he was before. Leader sits down next to him gingerly, like she’s afraid the mattress will break under their combined weights. Strong could tell her these things are tough enough to hold two mutants and a fully grown hound, but is still stuck on trying to figure out what she had meant.

 

“<You sleep bed,>” he signs clumsily, gesturing between Leader and the mattress. “<Me sleep floor.>”

 

She chews her lip, trying and failing to hide a grin in the same way Nobody does sometimes. “<No. You bed. Me floor.>”

 

“<You too soft. Hurt. Me->” he pauses grasping for the right word before finger-spelling, “<T-O-U-G-H.>”

 

“<Me tough,>” she replies, allowing Strong to copy the word before glancing down at the bed. “<We share?>”

 

“<Share. Yes. Good,>” Strong agrees with an approving nod.

 

“<Big enough?”

 

“<Yes. Bed okay. Sleep together.> He mimes bringing them closer causing Leader to turn red in the way Strong has come to understand as shame. Humans feel shame for the strangest reasons.

 

“<It be….tight.>”

 

“<Yes?>”

 

Leader sighs, attempting a grin. “<Okay. No funny stuff.>”

 

“<What funny?>” Strong wonders. She shakes her head rapidly.

 

“<No. Meaning-> she signs something Strong doesn’t understand, turning even redder. He shrugs and she sighs. <You keep hands to self.> She draws a frowny face on her chalkboard which Strong matches.

 

“<Bed small. Can’t no touch and fit.>”

 

“<No. Meaning no touch or I punch you.>”

 

“<Strong just want sleep.>”

 

“<That what everyone say, and then->” Leader makes a slapping noise against her thigh before laughing. <Me joking. I know you not interested in-“ she repeats the sign from before and Strong huffs, still not understanding. “<At least, no with me.>”

 

“<What word mean?>”

 

Leader pauses, looking confused. “<What word?>”

 

Strong repeats the gesture and Leader’s face flares up again as she begins to giggle nervously.

 

“<Means…>” she glances around like she’s afraid someone might be watching then quickly spells out, “<S-E-X.>”

 

“<What S-E-X?>”

 

Leader starts laughing in earnest, eyes shut tightly. She laughs so hard she starts choking and Strong helpfully thumps her on the back a few times. “<Sorry. Sorry. Me okay. You really not know what sex is? You and Maccready really need to talk.>”

 

“<He ask about sex too. Strong not understand. Why upset?>”

 

Covering her face, Leader mumbles something indistinct to herself before peeking out between her fingers at him and shaking her head. Strong sighs.

 

“<Why you shame? Me not understanding person.>”

 

“<Is embarrassing to talk about,>” Leader explains. “<Me need get used to it though.>” She takes a deep breath before giving Strong a determined look. “<Okay. One interspecies sex talk coming up.>”

 

And so the night takes a strange turn, but Strong does end up learning a lot. Even if he’s now even more convinced than ever that humans are _really fucking weird._


End file.
